Drop it like it's hot
By Dan Lyons
|
April 5, 2005
Introduction
Convertible owners are a breed apart. An opportunistic lot, they seize any opportunity to drop the top and soak up the sunshine. While many live in Sunbelt states, you'll also find them in parts of the country where sunshine is fickle and top-down seasons are fleeting. Through months of leaden skies and numbing cold, these people grit their teeth and button their tops (or squirrel their cars away for the duration). When winter shows a chink in its armor, they jump on the opportunity, peel back the lid and take off - even if they have to turn on the heat to keep frost from forming on their brows. It's to these people that Mini points its latest offerings.
Sporty cars have traditionally been open cars - even in Great Britain, where rain was invented and from whence Mini's hail. No surprise, then, that Mini is celebrating the second anniversary of the Cooper hatchback's arrival with a pair of new convertible models. On sale now are ragtop versions of both the standard Cooper and the sportier Cooper S.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Popping the top
Since these new Coopers are convertibles, there's no better place to start than by checking out the pros and cons of the Mini's ragtop. The cloth lid is fully automatic, and by pushing a button on the windshield header the top recedes or raises in about 15 seconds, with no latches to turn or boots to button up. When dropped, the top sits in a fairly flat stack behind the back seats. When raised, the top features a flat profile, preserving the original lines of the hatchback's design
In addition to open and closed modes, there's also a third option - sliding the cloth top back along the roof rails to create a sunroof. This setting gives you an opening nearly 16 inches long, and Mini says that the driver can operate the slider up to a speed of 75 mph. The sunroof feature, while novel, makes for a noisier cabin than driving either top-up or -down; the wind sifting through the boxy opening clearly makes itself known.
It is far better, in our view, to drop the top completely. When the top is collapsed into its tidy stack, there's little turbulence in the cabin, allowing for normal conversations at speed. Two things work in your favor here - the high profile of the rear seat headrests/roll bars and the folding windscreen (which can be fitted if you're not carrying anyone along in back). One more thing, for those who just can't wait to pop the lid, the key operated remote can open anything - doors, fuel door, top, windows - from as far away as 49 feet.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Visibility trouble
Two things that 2005 MINI Cooper Convertible owners need to know about are the rear window and rear visibility. The Mini has both, though one's a bit limited.
The backlight is glass with a standard defogger - a good thing, especially for heartier souls in cold weather climates who plan on running their cars year 'round because it helps improve visibility. But, Mini wraps a pair of aluminum roll bars around the rear seat headrests, and the wide tube bars and solid head rests create two completely blind zones of visibility. Plus, when raised, the Mini Cooper's convertible top has a substantial C-pillar that blocks sightlines.
With the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible, when driven top down, the stack is low enough to only slightly hinder the rear view, and looking around the rear roll bars/headrests is a simple matter. Top up, it's a narrow field of view to the rear, with a huge blind spot on the passenger side rear quarter.
Rear visibility issues in convertibles are nothing new, of course, and drivers learn to use their mirrors and take a trust-but-verify approach to lane changes. Thankfully, Mini has added one feature to the Cooper Convertible that simplifies life in the big city. Park Distance Control monitors the distance between you and whatever you're backing towards, alerting with beeps as you get closer.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Interior
Inside the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible, form follows the Cooper hatchback, which is equipped with what is arguably the most interesting interior design since the debut of the Audi TT. As with other Coopers, there is a wide menu of possibilities for the Convertible from which to choose, starting with interior upholstery (cloth, leather or leatherette) and continuing with colors (eight for the standard Convertible, seven for the Cooper S version).
New on the option sheet for 2005 is a gauge pack, as seen here, with analog readouts for oil pressure and temperature, fuel level and coolant temp. If chosen, these gauges occupy the main, pie-plate sized space in the center dash that is otherwise home to the speedometer, and the speedo migrates to a smaller, separate housing located atop the steering wheel, next to the tach.
Lots of drivers like a full complement of gauges, so we can see the logic of the $250 gauge pack option, though buying it makes it harder to see your speed. A better choice, we think, would've been to locate the gauges in the smaller space, astride the column. It's just easier to read your speed quickly when the speedometer is placed in the center of the dash.
Other changes for 2005 include an available chrome package that dresses up the gauges, air outlets, selected controls, and the cup holders. And speaking of cup holders, the Mini Cooper has sprouted a new one. Sitting high and to the right of the shifter, it will accommodate the American standard: mega-size beverage containers that the old ones couldn't. As before, the center stack holds a tightly bunched array of switchgear - toggles below, rheostats above.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Comfort
Despite its small size, the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible's driving position is first rate. Front seat legroom is amazing, and the seats travel far enough to comfortably hold people well over six-feet tall. Though accommodating, if the people up front are quite tall or like a reclined seatback, there's not much leg space left for rear seat occupants. Average-size folks will find room for two up front and two in back.
At first glance, the Mini Cooper Convertible's trunk - and especially the trunk opening - does indeed look mini. Drop the tiny rear tailgate and you have between 4.2 and 5.8 cubic feet inside, depending on whether you've got the top up or down. Fortunately, there are some options to increase your cargo capacity. With the top up, the lower rear edge of it can be unhinged, swung out and propped up at a 35-degree angle. This effectively gives you a bigger mouth, to swallow more cargo, like a jury-rigged hatchback. The rear seats also fold in a 50/50 split, allowing as much as 21.3 cubic feet of stuff to come along for the ride.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Driving
In most respects, the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible mirrors the Cooper hatchback when it comes to drivability. Tidy dimensions and a taut suspension make for point-and-shoot handling and a great, go-kart feel from behind the wheel.
The standard 115-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine likes to spin, and can be wound out from zero to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds, topping off at 121 mph. That performance is achieved with the five-speed manual transmission, which half of all Mini buyers are choosing. Automatic-equipped models take a more leisurely 10.2 seconds for the trip to 60 mph, with a lower top end of 112 mph.
In spirited driving, the standard engine is best kept on the boil by stirring the stick often. The trick is not to be caught with your revs down, and, as with most small displacement engines, passing takes planning. On the highway, the Mini Cooper Convertible cruises 70 mph at 3,300 rpm in high gear, and the engine is frugal with a pint of petrol. The EPA rates the convertible at 27-mpg city and 35-mpg highway.
The supercharged, intercooled, 1.6-liter four-banger in Cooper S models packs a little more punch this year. Modifications to the blower, gear ratios and exhaust system bump the horsepower to 168 at 6,000 rpm, five more than last year. For 2005, the Cooper S Convertible runs from 0-60 in 7.0 seconds flat, with a top end of 138 mph. It, too, likes to rev, and the harder you run through the six-speed gearbox, the faster you feel the added muscle.
Put simply, the standard motor with five-speed manual is fine for all standard motoring. Enthusiasts or those who possess a lead foot will appreciate the blower's added boost.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Wrap-up and Specs
A Mini Cooper Convertible is a natural. In the days of the old Minis, an open car was always a part of the lineup. Today, Mini expects that the rag top models will be strong sellers, estimating that 30-percent of Cooper sales will be convertibles. After spending some driving the new 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible, it seems a fair bet. The Mini Cooper Convertible is practical by sports car standards, and the wind-in-the-hair appeal of top-down motoring goes hand in glove with Mini's fun-to-drive credo.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Test Vehicle: 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible
Engine Size and Type: 1.6-liter inline four (standard); 1.6-liter supercharged inline four (Cooper S)
Engine Horsepower: 115 at 6,000 rpm (standard); 168 at 6,000 rpm
Engine Torque: 111 lb.-ft. at 4,500 rpm (standard); 162 lb.-ft. at 4,000 rpm
EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 27/35 (standard manual); 25/32 (Cooper S manual)
Curb Weight: 2,700-2,888 lbs.
Competitors: Audi TT 1.8 roadster, BMW Z4 2.5, Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible, Ford Mustang convertible, Honda S2000, Jeep Wrangler, Mazda Miata, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, Nissan 350Z, Toyota Camry Solara convertible, Toyota MR2 Spyder, Volkswagen New Beetle Cabrio
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
FAQs
What's the news here?
Two years after its debut, Mini is adding convertible versions of both the standard Cooper and Cooper S to the lineup. Other changes for 2005 include more power for the Cooper S, slight styling tweaks, a new gauge pack for the dashboard, and a mega-sized cupholder.
What are the highlights?
Open-top driving adds to the Mini Cooper's fun factor, especially in the Cooper S version. Plus, the top is fully automatic, and with the lid dropped, cabin turbulence is surprisingly minimal.
And the lows?
Typical convertible issues plague the Mini Cooper Convertible. Visibility is limited, especially with the top raised. Also, rear seat leg room is limited, as well as trunk space. Buyers, watch your options: Base models sticker for $21,500, but a loaded Cooper S can run thirty-$omething.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Since these new Coopers are convertibles, there's no better place to start than by checking out the pros and cons of the Mini's ragtop. The cloth lid is fully automatic, and by pushing a button on the windshield header the top recedes or raises in about 15 seconds, with no latches to turn or boots to button up. When dropped, the top sits in a fairly flat stack behind the back seats. When raised, the top features a flat profile, preserving the original lines of the hatchback's design
In addition to open and closed modes, there's also a third option - sliding the cloth top back along the roof rails to create a sunroof. This setting gives you an opening nearly 16 inches long, and Mini says that the driver can operate the slider up to a speed of 75 mph. The sunroof feature, while novel, makes for a noisier cabin than driving either top-up or -down; the wind sifting through the boxy opening clearly makes itself known.
It is far better, in our view, to drop the top completely. When the top is collapsed into its tidy stack, there's little turbulence in the cabin, allowing for normal conversations at speed. Two things work in your favor here - the high profile of the rear seat headrests/roll bars and the folding windscreen (which can be fitted if you're not carrying anyone along in back). One more thing, for those who just can't wait to pop the lid, the key operated remote can open anything - doors, fuel door, top, windows - from as far away as 49 feet.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Visibility trouble
Two things that 2005 MINI Cooper Convertible owners need to know about are the rear window and rear visibility. The Mini has both, though one's a bit limited.
The backlight is glass with a standard defogger - a good thing, especially for heartier souls in cold weather climates who plan on running their cars year 'round because it helps improve visibility. But, Mini wraps a pair of aluminum roll bars around the rear seat headrests, and the wide tube bars and solid head rests create two completely blind zones of visibility. Plus, when raised, the Mini Cooper's convertible top has a substantial C-pillar that blocks sightlines.
With the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible, when driven top down, the stack is low enough to only slightly hinder the rear view, and looking around the rear roll bars/headrests is a simple matter. Top up, it's a narrow field of view to the rear, with a huge blind spot on the passenger side rear quarter.
Rear visibility issues in convertibles are nothing new, of course, and drivers learn to use their mirrors and take a trust-but-verify approach to lane changes. Thankfully, Mini has added one feature to the Cooper Convertible that simplifies life in the big city. Park Distance Control monitors the distance between you and whatever you're backing towards, alerting with beeps as you get closer.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Interior
Inside the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible, form follows the Cooper hatchback, which is equipped with what is arguably the most interesting interior design since the debut of the Audi TT. As with other Coopers, there is a wide menu of possibilities for the Convertible from which to choose, starting with interior upholstery (cloth, leather or leatherette) and continuing with colors (eight for the standard Convertible, seven for the Cooper S version).
New on the option sheet for 2005 is a gauge pack, as seen here, with analog readouts for oil pressure and temperature, fuel level and coolant temp. If chosen, these gauges occupy the main, pie-plate sized space in the center dash that is otherwise home to the speedometer, and the speedo migrates to a smaller, separate housing located atop the steering wheel, next to the tach.
Lots of drivers like a full complement of gauges, so we can see the logic of the $250 gauge pack option, though buying it makes it harder to see your speed. A better choice, we think, would've been to locate the gauges in the smaller space, astride the column. It's just easier to read your speed quickly when the speedometer is placed in the center of the dash.
Other changes for 2005 include an available chrome package that dresses up the gauges, air outlets, selected controls, and the cup holders. And speaking of cup holders, the Mini Cooper has sprouted a new one. Sitting high and to the right of the shifter, it will accommodate the American standard: mega-size beverage containers that the old ones couldn't. As before, the center stack holds a tightly bunched array of switchgear - toggles below, rheostats above.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Comfort
Despite its small size, the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible's driving position is first rate. Front seat legroom is amazing, and the seats travel far enough to comfortably hold people well over six-feet tall. Though accommodating, if the people up front are quite tall or like a reclined seatback, there's not much leg space left for rear seat occupants. Average-size folks will find room for two up front and two in back.
At first glance, the Mini Cooper Convertible's trunk - and especially the trunk opening - does indeed look mini. Drop the tiny rear tailgate and you have between 4.2 and 5.8 cubic feet inside, depending on whether you've got the top up or down. Fortunately, there are some options to increase your cargo capacity. With the top up, the lower rear edge of it can be unhinged, swung out and propped up at a 35-degree angle. This effectively gives you a bigger mouth, to swallow more cargo, like a jury-rigged hatchback. The rear seats also fold in a 50/50 split, allowing as much as 21.3 cubic feet of stuff to come along for the ride.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Driving
In most respects, the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible mirrors the Cooper hatchback when it comes to drivability. Tidy dimensions and a taut suspension make for point-and-shoot handling and a great, go-kart feel from behind the wheel.
The standard 115-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine likes to spin, and can be wound out from zero to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds, topping off at 121 mph. That performance is achieved with the five-speed manual transmission, which half of all Mini buyers are choosing. Automatic-equipped models take a more leisurely 10.2 seconds for the trip to 60 mph, with a lower top end of 112 mph.
In spirited driving, the standard engine is best kept on the boil by stirring the stick often. The trick is not to be caught with your revs down, and, as with most small displacement engines, passing takes planning. On the highway, the Mini Cooper Convertible cruises 70 mph at 3,300 rpm in high gear, and the engine is frugal with a pint of petrol. The EPA rates the convertible at 27-mpg city and 35-mpg highway.
The supercharged, intercooled, 1.6-liter four-banger in Cooper S models packs a little more punch this year. Modifications to the blower, gear ratios and exhaust system bump the horsepower to 168 at 6,000 rpm, five more than last year. For 2005, the Cooper S Convertible runs from 0-60 in 7.0 seconds flat, with a top end of 138 mph. It, too, likes to rev, and the harder you run through the six-speed gearbox, the faster you feel the added muscle.
Put simply, the standard motor with five-speed manual is fine for all standard motoring. Enthusiasts or those who possess a lead foot will appreciate the blower's added boost.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
Wrap-up and Specs
A Mini Cooper Convertible is a natural. In the days of the old Minis, an open car was always a part of the lineup. Today, Mini expects that the rag top models will be strong sellers, estimating that 30-percent of Cooper sales will be convertibles. After spending some driving the new 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible, it seems a fair bet. The Mini Cooper Convertible is practical by sports car standards, and the wind-in-the-hair appeal of top-down motoring goes hand in glove with Mini's fun-to-drive credo.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Test Vehicle: 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible
Engine Size and Type: 1.6-liter inline four (standard); 1.6-liter supercharged inline four (Cooper S)
Engine Horsepower: 115 at 6,000 rpm (standard); 168 at 6,000 rpm
Engine Torque: 111 lb.-ft. at 4,500 rpm (standard); 162 lb.-ft. at 4,000 rpm
EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 27/35 (standard manual); 25/32 (Cooper S manual)
Curb Weight: 2,700-2,888 lbs.
Competitors: Audi TT 1.8 roadster, BMW Z4 2.5, Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible, Ford Mustang convertible, Honda S2000, Jeep Wrangler, Mazda Miata, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, Nissan 350Z, Toyota Camry Solara convertible, Toyota MR2 Spyder, Volkswagen New Beetle Cabrio
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004
FAQs
What's the news here?
Two years after its debut, Mini is adding convertible versions of both the standard Cooper and Cooper S to the lineup. Other changes for 2005 include more power for the Cooper S, slight styling tweaks, a new gauge pack for the dashboard, and a mega-sized cupholder.
What are the highlights?
Open-top driving adds to the Mini Cooper's fun factor, especially in the Cooper S version. Plus, the top is fully automatic, and with the lid dropped, cabin turbulence is surprisingly minimal.
And the lows?
Typical convertible issues plague the Mini Cooper Convertible. Visibility is limited, especially with the top raised. Also, rear seat leg room is limited, as well as trunk space. Buyers, watch your options: Base models sticker for $21,500, but a loaded Cooper S can run thirty-$omething.
Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004